My new comic has been released on the Ghost Recon Online facebook.

New Flash Site

Hey,

Just a quick heads up to let you know that the graphic design side of my site has been updated to flash, now all I need to work on is the concept design page. Also in the near future I am planning to have a 3 choice side to my site using flash, the original html as well as the new html5, I'll of course keep you updated.

www.simonjhill.co.uk

The Unfinished Swan

I seriously want to play this game. Its reminds me of Journey, so I'm hopefully going to get it soon!

Ghost Recon Online Comic Strip

Sooo I've been working on a new project recently, I am designing 2 comics every month for the Ghost Recon Online Community. This is to be featured on their facebook page. I have already worked on 3 comics so far and they are already up on the official Ghost Recon Online page. Please feel free to subscribe to my art page to see when the new comics are released.

GHOST RECON ONLINE PAGE

 

Games, games, games...

Woah, seems like ages ago since I wrote something on here! So i'd thought I'd give a double post today! Woooo...


Firstly i wanted to talk GAMES! cause I've been playing a couple recently and thought that you might like to hear my thoughts on them.

HALO 4

Basic Info: Bungie's last game was Halo:Reach so this is 343's (the new studio working on the Halo series) first ever title. The game starts off from where Halo 3 finishes. The campaign is more cinematic and the graphics are the best the series has seen so far. Multiplayer is awesome as well and still works like previous Halo titles.

What I love: The main thing I've always loved and enjoyed about the Halo series is the sense of mystery on weird and obscure planets/structures. This title takes this sense of mystery and scale and creates some epic landscapes/designs. Wondering around a planet which feels interesting and has its own personality is really enjoyable as well and seeing structures which seem to float in mid air adds to the Sci Fi vibes.

Another area the game exceeds in is its sound, guns have a real impact and the music is more gritty and cinematic, I suppose its got to be good when the dude behind it is the sound producer for Massive Attack...

Concept Art

 

Borderlands 2

 

 

Basic Info: Borderlands is one of these unique games which allows upto 4 players working co operatively through out the whole of its campain which also being able to have your own sense of freedom and not be stuck with your team mates. It has a small RPG feel to it, in terms of building up your character as well as finding new items (guns, grenades etc)

 

 

What I love: Firstly (like the first title) I love its unique comic book looking style. Its like a piece of 2D artwork... but in 3D. It has a really nice painted look to it. I also love the missions as well as its sense of scale (The game is HUGE). The vistas are also really interesting. There is also alot of comedy and references to other games and films which I found enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



My Own Facebook Page!

Please feel free to like my new Facebook page! Which will feature all my latest work as well as what I am doing at the moment! Thank You!

HERE

Animation Research

I've been doing a bit of research on some surreal animation, for my next side, solo project in which i plan to make a 3-4 minute animation as well as creating my own music.

 

 

BB's World Background Designs

Hey! Sooo been a pretty busy past couple of months, with finishing the whole bb project. I have attatched a small preview of the backgrounds to 'BB's World' which will hopefully be screening at festivals etc.

Hopefully there will be more soon! Including more information on a new project! 

Hello!

Hey! just a quick heads up... Been pretty busy the last couple of weeks/months. Firstly working on the BB project which is so close to being fully finished!! Another 3-4 days to be exact. Once we get the film fully finished and online I shall add it to the blog so you can all view what we have been working on! From the last time I saw it... which was a couple of days ago... It looked awesome! And everything has come together really well. I look forward to showing it.

Also i had a little 1-2 week project a couple of weeks ago, creating a falafel character for a london based food production company named flames falafel. Hopefully I will be able to add a tiny preview of that soon as well.


One last thing... As you can tell, I am a huge fan of the Journey game on PS3! If you havent checked it out yet... you should! If you never plan on playing the game then please watch this. I love the whole build up of the music as well as the visuals. They just seem to work perfectly.



4:30 plus is where it really kicks in :)

Journey

Here is the Journey review from gamespot! Looking good!!

Games!

Just thought i'd add something about the games which I have been playing recently...

First up is Fable 3, I enjoyed playing the game and loved the art design and style of it, just as i did with the other 2 games. There are quite a few things which i hated about the new 'improvements'.
I shall write them in bullet points...

• Menu System: Navigating through menus and selections in Fable 3 was a terrible design and should have never been made in the final game. It just makes navigation much harder then before. For the whole time I could never find Health Potion, the random jewels i picked up constantly + i could never know what gifts I had received from characters in the game. They tried to make the menu system easier, but in actual fact they made it worse, terrible even.
• No Map : No map in the game made it much harder to navigate, i had countless amounts of times where i was lost and had no idea where to go. Well i kind of lie... there is a map, but you have to go to the useless menu navigation system running around to get to the main map...
• Everything is just too simple: All the way from talking to people to interacting with your dog just feels too simple. It now just seems pointless and stupid to interact with a character in Fable 3. Interacting with you dog is rubbish as well now, there isn't any point in it being in the game, He does nothing (apart from finding treasures.. which kind of ruins the whole idea of 'Exploration', all you do now is run around waiting for your dog to bark.)
• Levelling up: Again another terrible system, just like the menu, it's just too simple!!!

There are somethings that I thought Lionhead did well and that was when you (Spoiler) become king. You have so many decisions to make which really does alter the world you live in. You will also see the world develop as and change (visually) which is a great addition to the game.

The Next game is the Jak and Daxter HD Collection. Used to love the first game when i was younger. I loved the bright colours, the great character animations and the comedy. It felt for the first time you were playing a pixar film. Since getting the HD collection last week I have only just completed the first game and still have the other two to complete, So I'm looking forward to continuing the trilogy! If anyone has yet to try this game then i thoroughly recomend it, remember that it is quite old now, but even now you can appreciatte how advanced it was for its time (Animation alone).

Aaand lastly a game which i am very much looking forward to! Journey. The game looks incredible and is released on the 14th March!

An Update! At long last...

Hey everyone!

I've been pretty busy recently with the whole BB project as well as other projects. You will be able to see all the background work which Ive been working on in the next couple of months (after April hopefully). I will try to keep this blog updated as much as i can!

Music is fun

I have also been trying to create music... which is something of a hobby and an interest. My overal hope is to create animations as well as its soundtracks. Here is a couple of songs which i have created so far (be warned, these aren't that great, but hopefully when i get use to the program things will hopefully sound better)

http://soundcloud.com/leoslim